oihfedfhorigiojisdeffandomcom-20200214-history
Ljdg;org
was just reading the answer below - and loving it - and then realized that it was written by Nora, an engineer at Facebook. I really agree with Nora's point. The tech industry is often described as a difficult place for women, but in many ways, the tech industry has a lot of qualities that make it ideal for women. The flexibility offered in our industry is unlike anything I have seen in any other industry. In many tech companies, it is commonly accepted that people can work on their own schedules and often work from any location. This makes a big difference when trying to have a career and a family. In addition, the tech industry is also often very meritocratic - with outcomes being judged by quantifiable results (products launched, products sold, numbers hit, etc) which is also helpful for women as it removes some of the subjective judgments women can face in the workforce. I think the most important advice for girls or women who want to consider a career in tech is really the same advice for all women and girls anywhere - that the key thing is to believe in your own abilities. Studies show that women often underestimate their own abilities, which holds them back from taking on the challenges that help any of us achieve to our potential. Stereotype threat - the phenomenon that if people are aware of a stereotype they are more likely to act in accordance with it - is a real issue for girls in science, math and technology. Girls don't think they can do well, and therefore they don't. (This is why girls often do better in these subjects at all-girls schools.) If women believe they can succeed in tech, they will. And so many amazing technical leaders already do -- Working in the tech industry is awesome. You get to go out and build the future every day. In spite of what you might think, giving the paucity of females in tech, it's a pretty good place for women to work: *It's got one of the smallest income gender gaps (I believe it's about 96% vs. an average of 70%). *The pay is generous (at least for software engineers). *It tends to be relatively flexible, in terms of when you work. *It's very easy to work remotely. Another great thing about working in technology is that it's very easy to mix in other interests. If you are passionate about music or sports or biology or charity, you are likely to be able to find a tech company that's working in that space. Advice: (which mostly applies to both genders) *The best way to learn in the tech field is to jump in and build things, so you should go ahead and do that as much as possible. *Don't be intimidated by those who seem to know more than you. It's very easy to techno-babble at someone and seem intelligent. Never be afraid to ask questions if you don't understand something. It's a great way to learn. If the person you ask can't/won't explain, it's likely he/she doesn't really understand. *Sadly, you will likely run into some sexism. Don't let it get you down. One of the nice things about engineering is that you can usually prove an idea is better by building it. Don't be afraid to ignore nay-sayers and just go for it. *Choose your environments/companies well. They may vary a lot in how things are run. I prefer meritocracies, for avoiding sexism and experience-ism. Web companies are fun, because they usually have a very fast release cycle. The most important thing is to work on something that you're interested in and passionate about.